Beijing: The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, familiar to many from recent motion pictures such as "The Last Emperor", is a favorite spot for both Chinese and American tourists. It is now known as the Palace Museum.

It is the largest palace complex in the world with 9999 rooms. It's construction required 100,000 craftsmen and one million laborers.

For nearly 500 years, from 1420 to 1911, it was the residence and court of the Ming and Quing dynasties.